Mr Behailu Merdekios, the newly appointed Research and Community Service Vice President, is indebted towards his superiors for reposing faith in him to spearhead such an important office of Arba Minch University and at the same time, he feels, it’s right opportunity to serve the nation and will put his heart and soul in achieving what is expected of him.
Elaborating further, he said, in the context, when AMU being branded as Research University that has not only Ministry of Science and Higher Education but myriad stakeholders expecting high and it will certainly prompt entire teaching and research fraternity to embark on qualitative research to create and evolve innovative technologies in addressing social problems thus serving nation.
On his clinical and professional experience, he said, I am from medical science background, but my office deals in research in almost every potential sector that demands profound experience and comprehensive view. Therefore, I think broader understanding and wide-ranging views of overall research undertakings will help us to reach to the desired destination.
Until recently, AMU was engaged in routine thematic research, it was limited and directed to respective professions where required synergy between teaching-learning and community service was missing. Research shouldn’t be for academic gains, it has to be multi-disciplinary and problem-solving. By doing so academicians can be promoted, community engagement will be enhanced; new innovative technologies can be incubated, adopted, adapted and would be disseminated to the needy community. And above all, integrating different sections, departments, directorates and myriad stakeholders will be the key.
However, we have been rendering exemplary services in Community Service, but AMU being the 1st Generation University has to raise the bar and with past experience we can build upon it; what matters is to agglutinate everything together and deliver. For quality research, we will equip our workshops and laboratories with hi-tech and advanced equipments; it will help us serve our mandate, he added.
Shedding light on his Strategic Plan, he said, it emanates from AMU’s 10-Year Strategic Plan that will further percolate down to respective sectors within the university. Key guidelines, he said, we had been revising important areas of activities and instead of thematic areas, we will shift into grand projects mode including motivating female researchers as their participation was minimal, other things remain the same.
He adds, since an academic staff is expected to utilize 25% of their time in research that will be made mandatory and a system already in place will be implemented wherein every staff has to comply with it; otherwise, they will miss out all the benefits including promotions and other cumulative benefits.
Unraveling his different positions, he said, soon after UG, I became lecturer in Jimma University (1998- 2002), then moved to Arba Minch Health Science Institute to head Public Health Department (July 2002-Jan 2003) and went on to become Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (2003-2007). With Master in Global Health from Republic of Ireland’s Trinity College of Dublin, I rejoined former employer as Research Coordinator.
In July 2010, he joined AMU as a teacher and immediately was made Dean of College of Medicine and Health Science till 2017. From 2017 to 2018, he was Administrative Vice President thereafter he went for PhD to Belgium and on 22nd December, 2020, he became Research and Community Service Vice President.
Globalization is our sole mandate, he said, it needs to be strengthened; we will build link and network with different global research and teaching institutions for we need support, gain and assimilate scientific ideas to be self-reliant. As of now, we are trying to collaborate with one of the Malaysian universities and more will follow.
On abroad travel funding, he said, previously we had funding for global travel, but present scenario is pushing us to look for external collaboration, by keeping our indigenous link for technology transfer intact, we will focus on gaining global skills and exposure to technology and capacity building for our senior researchers. MOSHE is expecting a lot from us that will propel us in that direction.
At this juncture, what we need is positive mindset, we should think out-of-the-box; the current innovation within Ethiopia shows that we can. We should motivate, appreciate and acknowledge our researchers’ achievements so that we can get best out of them; that is what an institution needs.
On in-house network, we would tie up with agriculture, enterprise, trade and industry sectors for we have abundant natural resources; it will help to create jobs and address the problems of surrounding community, he added.
He accepted that stumbling blocks are lukewarm responses from different sectors that can be improved upon with sustained communication. Research Publication, Documentation & Dissemination office lacks physical facilities and staff; vacancies are there but recruitment process is tardy. Similarly, Chencha and Dorze Research centers’ fancy infrastructures are to be filled in with required human and material resources. To address such issues, we are revising guidelines and implementation manuals that will help to fill vacancies; and other alternatives will be looked for those activities which were left half-way through due to budgetary constraints, he emphasized.
He says I am a visionary who believe in a team work, prefer to discuss and share ideas to reach for consensus. And invariably, acknowledge and appreciate people’s ideas, and look for an alternative. Presently, my PhD in Medical Sciences - Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, from University of Antwerp, Belgium, is likely to be completed soon.
(Corporate Affairs Directorate)